After running into an old friend last night that has since moved to North Carolina, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic about the three-bar establishment that I practically lived at for fun and eventually worked for as well. For those who know me, you know that I am of course talking about Yab Yum, Inc., which consisted of the Kit Kat Club, Harold and Maude's and the Globe (after Go Lounge closed on 23 August 1999) on Wall Street Plaza in downtown Orlando.



It all started in the middle of June 1999 when my best friend Erik "Chris" Patten and I were attending various films and seminars during the Florida Film Festival. One evening while driving around town looking for trouble to get into, Chris remembered hearing that one of the parties for the festival was to be held at a downtown espresso bar called Harold and Maude's. We stopped at the University of Central Florida student union to look up this place in the telephone book and give them a ring for directions. I can still distinctly remember being there for no more than thirty minutes, turning to Chris and stating how I could see Harold and Maude's becoming my new evening hangout. The irony of that statement is only appreciable now.

As time progressed, that is exactly what happened. My friends and I made Harold and Maude's a regular evening stop to enjoy conversation, various coffees and as I became friends with some of the staff, alcoholic beverages. From that point forward, my attraction to the place only grew and the time spent there greater. There came a point where I really started to feel like I was part of a family, almost like in Cheers. Hell, I had my own spot at the bar I almost always sat at, was served my raspberry cosmopolitans in special, larger cocktail glasses reserved by most of the bartenders for me and was greeted by name by the staff and some regulars when I walked in the door. So it is no wonder that I eventually began working at this place I enjoyed so much. As one of the managers once said, "You are here already, so why not make some money, too?"

In September 2000, I began working fill-in shifts at the Kit Kat Club door, checking identification and taking cover charge money. That temporary position later turned into regular work every Monday and Wednesday evening, picking up additional shifts as needed. Finally, I was made the "door manager" and was in charge of scheduling shifts and making sure things were running smoothly. One of my favourite, yet unfortunate things, was kicking people out and having them trespassed by the police. It was a known in-joke that I was the king of the trespass, which either meant I got a lot more troublemakers when I was on shift, or just put up with less shit than others. I knew the night-shift downtown bicycle OPD cops by name.

I have never again been fortunate enough to work with such a wonderful group of people. Our establishments were frequented by people from all walks of life and our diverse staff represented that as well. It was a great way to meet a lot of interesting people, sample the best and the worst of the local music scene and just get away from it all whilst making money and having fun.

Now, that they have been gone for over a year, I still find myself wanting nothing more than to go there and just sit and hang out. No substitute by any means, but Southern Nights and the Bodhisattva Social Club downtown have taken the place of the Yab Yum threesome for me. I still run into many old regulars and co-workers, which is nice. And as silly as this may seem, I do have a little tribute to Yab Yum on a bookshelf, containing my personal cocktail glasses, a Harold and Maude's menu, ashtray, matches, roll of logo stickers and the stamps I used whilst working. Now if only I would have been able to take the whole place home with me.

No back story and no explanation. Sometimes I really wish I were straight. But then again, I see women are just as much a pain in the ass as men are, just about different things. So I guess the moral of the story is... I will get back to you about that one.

I had just written a rather large, mostly rambling post which after finishing I realised served its purpose without needing to publish it beyond my own screen. So instead, I would like to take a very brief moment to bring to your attention two comedians who I was only recently introduced, both incidentally from the UK.

First, there is the deliciously amusing Eddie Izzard whose Dress to Kill stand-up special was my introduction to his unique style and linguistic genius. The self-proclaimed "action transvestite," Izzard does not feel the need to dote on his sexuality incessantly and instead only tells a few stories about his childhood that are amusing to say the least. I look forward to having the opportunity to see more of his works, which if are anything like Dress to Kill will leave you laughing to death.

Now equally funny, but in a different genre and format, is the flamboyant Graham Norton. Norton is the host of a variety-type talk show called So Graham Norton which features a brief stand-up routine (much like the beginning of Letterman and Leno), a guest, an audience participation skit and finally a musical or comedy act. Norton's show is a fabulous upgrade from those other programmes, in the lack of censorship that the BBC show enjoys.

So, yeah, that is all for now. Check them out and prepare to be floored from laughter.

I happened upon the following AOL personal homepage text by following a user link from the illustrious and often squalid gay.com chat room. I have redacted, as indicated by the square-bracketed ellipsis, any contact information, but otherwise it is verbatim as far as spelling, punctuation and grammar.

[...]'s Home Cleaning
{picture of the individual here}

Basic Facts
Clean your home to your needs. It will be done the way you ask. 100% Most Homes are $75.00 It will be spotless when I leave for your enjoyment. Clean up after a party? Short notice cleaning? Call me [...] So give me a ring you wont regret.

Include
Bathrooms, Kitchen, Vaccuming, Dusting, Glass Sliding Doors, and anything else you desire.

My Online Life
Contact me on estimates and prices .

Uh, so could this be construed as anything but a pay-for-sex advert? Sure, my "blinds" may need a "dusting" and who cannot stand to have their "glass doors" given a good "washing?"

This brings up an interesting idea. I could use the money and, well, that other thing is nice, too. Maybe I should invest in some Windex®, paper towels and a mop. Yeah, or not.

Last evening I had the opportunity to watch a wonderfully written, directed and acted French film called Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. When asked if I wanted to see this movie, released as Amélie here in the United States, I was not familiar with it; however, I did recognise the cover image of the main character Amélie Poulain, beautifully portrayed by Audrey Tautou. We follow the mousy-demeanoured character Amélie from the very beginning of her life in order to observe her unusual childhood that will serve to shape this young lady in a way you discover as the present-day bulk of the film progresses.

Aside from being a very clever and cute story about life, love and the lessons learnt as a result of dealing with both, this film somehow captures the essence of enjoying the small things in life and appreciating doing something nice, immaterial in size or grandeur, for a complete stranger. So if you are up for a beautifully cinematographed, cute and subtly humorous picture and do not mind subtitles (ou parlez le français), check this one out.